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Eighteen states have expressed their inability to complete rollout by September Fearing spurt in prices of food items between July and December due to poor supplies, the Centre has directed all states to take strong action against hoarding and black- marketing of food items, particularly in areas prone to shortages, and start their own price monitoring cells. The states have agreed to adopt a multi- pronged strategy, which includes reviewing the APMC Act for onions, potatoes and tomatoes to free inter- state movement. The food items most vulnerable to price rise are onions, potatoes, tomatoes, pulses, edible oils and rice. “There has been slight increase in prices of pulses due to low production and for which we have decided to import 10,000 tonnes of pulses. Food inflation is under control and all states have assured us that they would take strict action against hoarders and black- marketers,” Paswan later told reporters, after a day- long meeting of state food ministers in price rise a…

The government has set up Customs Clearance and Facilitation Committees at ports to ensure expeditious Customs clearance of goods to improve ease of doing business for traders. Welcoming the move, the Federation of Indian Export Organisations said the move would help in getting faster clearances from different agencies. Business Standard, New Delhi, 8th July 2015

The government plans to table four labour reform bills in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament that are designed to promote industrialization while protecting workers’ rights, labour secretary Shankar Aggarwal said. The four bills are the Employees Provident Fund and Miscellaneous (Amendment) Bill, Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Bill, Small Factories Bill and the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill. “All the amendments are being done keeping in mind three things—need of the times, workers’ protection and creating an environment for more job creation,” Aggarwal said. “Every year, the country needs to create an excess of 10 million jobs and for that manufacturing sector is key. The proposed labour reforms will help the pace of industrialization while keeping workers’ rights intact.” Aggarwal said the child labour amendment has already received cabinet approval and the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) amendment is likely to be taken to the cabinet by the first week of…

Govt raises threshold from Rs.137 on the basi of average hike in CPI for industrial workers The government has increased minimum wage across the country to Rs.137 Rs.160 a day from with effect from this month. It has raised the threshold after two years on the basis of average increase in the consumer price index for industrial workers during this period. Labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya on Tuesday said he has written to all chief ministers and lieutenant governors to take necessary steps to fix minimum rates of wages in respect of all scheduled employments in states and union territories not below the revised level. “While reviewing the movement of CPI-IW (consumer price index for industrial workers) during s April 2014 to March 2015 over the period April 2012 to March 2013, it was observed that the average CPI IW has risen from 215.17 to 250.83. Ac cordingly , the NFLMW (national floor level minimum wage) has been re vised upwards from existing Rs.160 Rs.137 to per day with effect f…